iPad: Amazon has released an iPad app for its Instant Video store. Prime members are able to stream …
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Sincerely,
Media Maven

Dear Media Maven,
You're close—very close. Amazon is a viable option for buying mostly DRM-free digital goods you can enjoy on nearly every device. Amazon's store is less constricting than Apple's iTunes, or even Google's Play Store, and if you're watching for sales or happen to be an Amazon Prime member, you can save some serious cash. But there are a few catches you should know about.

Let's run through Amazon's current music and movie offerings, comparing them to what you can get from the other stores. We're not going to tackle books here, because Amazon is the market leader in ebook sales, and its Kindle app is available on nearly every device that has a screen and isn't made by Barnes & Noble. iBooks and Google Books are certainly competitors, but Amazon is definitely a viable option on almost every screen.

Video

What Amazon offers: Amazon offers two types of video markets: an a la carte buy/rent Instant Video, with 120,000 titles available to anyone with an Amazon account, and an unlimited Prime Instant Video streaming library of about 20,000 titles for those with an $80/year Amazon Prime account.

Pricing: $4 to rent new releases, $10-$14 to buy. Amazon holds regular sales and gives out credits frequently, found most easily through Instant Video's Twitter account.

Selection: Sometimes surprisingly good finds for cheap, and a decent selection of new releases and classics. But the in-between stuff (movies from 3-10 years ago) is somewhat shallow. Better than Google's Play Store, certainly, but a few steps back from iTunes, depending on your tastes.

Supported devices: Purchases and Prime streaming can be done through apps for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Roku boxes, Kindle Fire, certain HDTVs and Blu-Ray players, most any computer that supports Flash in a browser, and, just recently, iPads. Some devices (computers and iPads, notably) can store videos for offline viewing.

What's missing: Android support, which is very strange, given that Amazon created its own Android-derived tablet.

Pricing: Amazon's music store is really competitive on pricing, and like its video counterpart, regularly features great sales on Twitter. Once or twice every month, my wife prices out an album on iTunes, and I find it for $2-$3 less in Amazon's store. The Cloud Player, with its track-matching offer, comes in a Free version limited to 250 tracks (not counting Amazon purchases), and a Premium version for 250,000 tracks that's $24.99 per year. Google's Play Store often competes on price, but Amazon's selection often wins out.

Selection: All the big music players are in the store, though older catalog material isn't always offered in digital form (often the case on iTunes, too).

Supported devices: As noted, you can download MP3s for use on any device that takes them. On the streaming side, Cloud Player works with Android devices, Kindle Fire, iPhone/iPod/iPad, most any browser, and it's coming soon to Roku and Sonos devices.

What's missing: The Cloud Player could use some upgrades in looks and functionality in the browser, and the desktop upload/download tools need some loving care, too. Otherwise, great service.

To summarize, what makes Amazon appealing as a third-party source for your entertainment, as opposed to sticking with Apple or Google's ecosystems, is its aggressive pricing, and willingness to store everything you buy on its servers for on-demand streaming. If you're a Prime member for the free two-day shipping, then Amazon is also another source to check for streaming movies during your "What should we watch?" moments, and now you can check out Amazon's surprisingly free goodies from another important device.